Quite a variety of cigarette extinguishing and storing devices exist in the prior art. Many of these devices take the shape of a simulated ball-point pen, and include a cap that is adapted to cover one end of an elongated body for storing the cigarette or smoking material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,575 to Andreason et al. on Apr. 28, 1987, illustrates such a device, as does U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,968 to Beloff on Oct. 18, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,715 to Musetti on Mar. 7, 1989. Such devices typically smother the burning smoking material within the elongated storage body by capping one or more open ends of the elongated body and preventing the replenishment of oxygen within the body.
Such prior art devices have significant drawbacks. For example, the burning end of the cigarette or cigar is often forced into contact with an extinguishing member of such devices. This tends to break away ashes from the smoking material, such ashes collecting within the device. None of the prior art devices include a means for easily removing such ashes in a clean manner. While the Andreason et al. reference does include a removable plug at the bottom end of their device, the plug is not easily removed without spilling ashes from the device. Further, such a plug is not meant to retain ashes, even temporarily, and therefore must be removed from the device with the utmost care and usually while the device is held over a trash can or other suitable receptacle. Other prior art devices make no provision for ashes that may break away from the smoking material, and therefore even a clean cigarette stored in such a device can quickly collect ashes from previous cigarettes while being stored within such devices.
Clearly, then, there is a need for a cigarette storing and extinguishing device that provides an easy means for emptying ashes therefrom in a clean manner. Such a needed device would extinguish any smoking materials without allowing smoke to escape the device. Further, such a needed invention would preserve the smoking materials for future consumption without damaging or dirtying the smoking material. The needed device would be compact, easily portable, and extremely simple to manufacture. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.